State v. Fagalde

The appellant was convicted of assault in the second degree. His appeal, involving a question of statutory interpretation, was transferred from the Court of Appeals to this court. His contention is that the superior court erroneously admitted testimony of the acting director and an employee of the Walla Walla Mental Health Center concerning statements which the appellant had made to them in the course of seeking their help in dealing with his emotional problems, over his objection that the statements were privileged communications.

The evidence showed that the appellant inflicted severe…